Would you like to know how opening a bank account can be incorporated into speech therapy? Yes…it’s possible, so keep reading!
Before we continue, check out this clip of a young man name RJ who is the son of famous actress, Holly Robinson, as he shares some of his future goals.
Tear jerker, right?! This is The Speech & Career Center’s WHY? This is why we exist because like RJ said, kids with autism or any other ability level can do anything they want to and TSCC is passionate about supporting them along their journey.
RJ mentioned getting a debit card Before RJ or any individual who is interested in opening a bank account does so, it’s important that they are ready for this new experience. Let’s talk about how opening a bank account can be incorporated into speech therapy.
1. Knowing the vocabulary necessary to open a bank account and complete banking transactions is a very important part of the process. The vocabulary should include words like withdrawal, deposit, interest, savings, checking, and that’s just to name a few. Also, bringing real withdrawal and deposit slips into therapy is a great way to help teach the vocabulary in context as well as prepare for the daily or weekly transactions that will take place when managing their finances.
2. To help with understanding what the initial experience and all the others to come may look like, role playing or watching a video is a great way to provide a visual of what the individual may hear and see. Furthermore, this would be a perfect opportunity to work on appropriate social skills (i.e. greetings, small talk, eye contact) that are essential while visiting the bank.
3. Formulating and understanding frequently used banking questions is another area that can be addressed in therapy. For example, if the individual wants information about their account balance, we would teach them how to formulate that question into a sentence and understand the meaning of the sentence. Comprehending the verbiage or at least being able to recognize it is key, so they don’t become flustered.
4. After teaching vocabulary, social skills, and sentence structure in a quiet environment, how would we make sure the individual will actually carryover the new skills taught in speech therapy? Well…we take a trip to the bank! At TSCC, we believe this is the only way to really support generalization of skills.
There you have it, a functional lesson that includes speech and language goals. Just to summarize, the therapy targets included vocabulary, sentence formulation, and social skills all while incorporating a FUNCTIONAL skill.
Here at The Speech & Career Center, we are all about supporting and helping to prepare our clients as they integrate into their communities and transition into adulthood, careers or post-secondary education. We’re all about improving their communication skills and helping them to find their way in this world.
Just like RJ, we believe individuals of all ABILITY levels can do ANYTHING they put their mind to!
TSCC
Improving Functional Communication 